A "Closed Shop"
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in Removals
is Undesirable
But the Business is H ighly Specialized and Calls for Skilled Workers and Thorough Experience on the Part of the Operator S. EVERAL readers have taken me to task for my recent articles on the furniture removals business. . I have also, it seems, left some loose ends which, in their opinion, I ought to tie t p. First, I have been criticized for, as the writer of one letter puts.it, `' encouraging new entrants
to an industry which is already overcrowded." .
To that my imniediate reply is that it is no part of my duty, is I Write these articles, to discriminate between one inquirer and another. If 1 receive a number of requests to deal with a particular subject, and if, in my opinion, that subject has sufficient general interest to justify treatment in • The Commercial Motor," I must write about it. In other words. I must try to solve the problems of those hauliers
who put them before me. .
There is, mbreover, a broader personal -issue involved in this matter.. I am not a believer in the closed shop, whether it be in respect of the workers in the shops or the operators of commercial vehicles. I believe that there is an advantage in the inflow .of -new blood into a trade or an industry. It keeps that industry alive and compels acceptance of new methods besides ensuring the continuance of competition, which is nearly always healthy.
A Specialized Business
When, hoWever,. my. correspondent :proceeds to point out that furniture removal is "a specialist business, one which the ordinary haulier-should not tackle without at leaSt calling in the aid of eiperienced assistants, I heartily agree.. I have no objection whatever to giving Publicity to the arguments he puts forward in substantiation of his views.
First, he stresses the need for a .furniture remover being also a warehouseman—to the extent at least that he must be able to store the goods of his customers if they desire him to do so. Furniture warehousing and removing, he points out, is a composite trade, the economy and efficiency of which haeve. been achieved only by combining the two sections of the business. •
Dealing more specifically with the removals branch, he goes on to emphasize that a genuine furniture remover has not only perfected the art of packing, removing and storing household furniture and all those personal belongings which go to make a home. He has also learnt in many ways to be helpful to families who are moving from one district to another under varying and often trying conditions.
He draws attention also to the fact that the vehicles employed by furniture removers are specially designed for their work. They have to carry varying quantities of furniture, a crew of three or four porters, and packers as well as the driver.
Co-operation Between Workers The men work in teams, which include the driver. He is experienced in the trade and is capable of superintending the loading and unloading of his vehicle, thus making for that co-operation which is -so necessary on the part of all members of the team.
The subject of essential gear comes next. Each vehicle, he points out, must have its complement of wrappers, packing cases, piano shoes and other equipment, which are not usually to be found in the establishment of the ordinary haulier.
He touches also upon the warehouse aspect of this business. The remover is-responsible for the-property front the moment it is packed for removal at theresidence; that responsibility continues throughout the period of storage and continues until it is unpacked and placed in position at
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the new. residence. The importance of this lies in the fact that, to do the work prqperly. and reduce the risk of damage and loss to a minimum, -experienced and reliable workmen must be employed who, asa rule, are in charge of the . propertyfrOm 'start to -finish. The number of ordinary hauliers who have Such men in their employ must be, he thinks, very .few indeed.
Turning 'to another aspect of his subject, he refers to my statement, in the previous Article, that furniture warehousemen do .not like to have goods removed from their repbsitories by other competing firms. He agrees that that is so, but points out that the objection is not so much to the act as to the manner in which it is sometimes executed. All that is asked is that the normal courtesies be observed.
The N,A.F.W.R. has a strict rule referring to this matter. which every member must observe. It states "No member of the Association shall undertake to remove household furniture and effects from the depository of another member except with The consent of the. depository owner."
The reason for the rule is that there is a serious risk of argument about the responsibility for loss or damage which may occur during the transitional process. In practice, if a member receives a request from a customer to remove goods from the depository of another he should contact that member and endeavour to come to terms. Usually, I understand, it the request be put in a proper manner, and if there he no special reason why permission should be withheld, the removal can be arranged.
On the subject of the conveyance of a householder's coal, another correspondent also stresses the importance of "sweet reasonableness." In pre-war days the customer sometimes had a stock of coal which Occupied a good deal of space. Moreover, he .expected the remover to pack it as well as
carry it. It was that attitude which brought about the condition in the contract under which removers refused to include coal in the household effects which they were prepared to carry in their vans.
Nowadays, of course, conditions are different; coal is a rationed commodity And correspondingly precious. It is now the habit of furniture removers, when visiting the householder as the first step towards making an estimate for the removal:to suggest that the coal should be "bagged by the customer as a pr'eliminary to theremoval,-at the same time pointing out the impossibility of carrying it otherwise. The next point I have to dcal with is storage charges. have had several inquiries from readers as to the amounts they should charge for storage—not only of furniture. but of other goods. As regards furniture, I wrote to Mr, Edwin A. Harris, secretary of Abe' N.A.F.W.R., who sent me a circular concerning thatmatter, from which I have culled the following information.
Apparently the charges which may be made for the storage of furniture are controlled and fixed, as to the maximum, by the Central.Price Regulation Committee of the Board of Trade. These prices were originally fixed on September 1, 1941, With the cessation of fire-watching and its attendant expense, :they were .reduced and sundry altetatiOns to the conditions made. • The revised schedule came into operation on October 13, 045,and stiff stands. It is as Controlled Charges for Storage
(a) For lots net exceeding 15,000 cubic ft. the ceiling charge in the London Postal Area Inner Region is 7s. .6d. and outside that area Gs. per week per 600.1subie ft., The maximum charges a contractor may make are, therefore, (1) For goods stored in the London Postal 'Area inner Region:— (i) The charges he was making on September 1, 1941, or (ii) Charges at the rate of 7s. 6d. per week per unit of 600 cubic ft., whichever shall be the smallet. (If. the contractor is now charging at the rate of 7s. (id. per week or less he will not have to make any reduction.)
(2) For goods Stored .outside the London Postal Area Inner Region:—
Ii) The September, 1941, charges, or , (ii) Charges at the tate of 6s. per week per unit of 600 cubic ft., whichever shall be the smaller, Of the contractor is now charging at the rate of (is. per week or less he need, make no reduction.) (b) For lots exceeding 15,000 cubic ft. the ceiling charge in the London Postal Area Inner Region is Ss. and outside that area 6s. 6d. per. 1,000 cubic ft. per week. The permissible charges are: (1) For goods stored in the London Postal Area Inner Region:--7 • (i) The charges being made on September I. 1941, or (a) At the rate of 8s, per week per unit of 1,000 cubic ft., whichever shalt he the smaller. (If present charges. a re.88.•or iesS.no reduction need be made.)
(2) For goods stored -outside the London Postal Area
Inner Region:• .
(i) The September, 1941, charges, or ' ii) 6s. 6d. per week per unit of 1,000 cubic ft., which ever be the .smaller. (If the charge now being made is as. 6d. or less no 'reduction need be made.)
(c) Access to goods in store. The previous order provided that the maximum charges should be calculated on the space ascertained after. the goods had been stored as compactly as the circumstances of the case permitted and the nature of the .goods required,: including the thinienum space necessary for ).easonalrle access to the .goods.
Under the present order the •words in italics have been deleted. That step was taken because the Central Committee Was of the opinion that it introduced somethine which was contrary to trade practice as it existed before price control, when it was customary to measure only the
actual stack and not to measure the gangways, etc. The N.A.F.W.R., I understand, fought hard to have the clause re-inserted, on the ground that whilst it was in force some • of their members had acquired premises for storage which involved 'difficulties of .access and that they had taken that step bona fide as the result of the inclusion of that clause. So far as I am aware, the Association was unsuccessful in its efforts and the clause is still deleted.
(d) Special Facilities. In '.he case of storage of goods for which special accommodation is 'required, such as cubical storage, strong room. 'piano room, etc., and for storage of goods which, by their nature or for any other reason, occupy space additional to that:which iS normally necessary—such as baggage, boxes. etc., separately stored. and subject to special charges—these charges were stabilized on the basis of what was being charged for _them by art,individual contractor on September 1, 1941. Charges for these special facilities are in no way affected by the new order, which means, I take it, that they are still governed by the charges made in 1941, Last in this Miscellany of matters of interest to furniture removers, actual and potential. is the business of what are techa:cally known as small lots. By that term, a furniture remover means one or more items of furniture, insufficient in themselves to make even a small vanload..yet frequently requiring removal, sometimes over quite long distances. Such things as a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, an occasional chair, or even,a. three-piece suite, come under the _heading of small lots. They are difficult to deal with and raise problems of costs and charges not easy to solve. In effect, the latter aspect of the mailer is closely allied to that of assessing rates for smalls, which no one has yet been able to do on a direct basis of cost plus profit.
Furniture removers, throUgh their national association, have organized a scheme Which deals with both aspects of the matter and in a way which,.I am told, is proving most satisfactory. The plait originated in the Tunbridge Wells area some .years ago and has spread of late, so that it is now in Operation in no fewer than some 50-;or.ld towns in England and Wales.
How the Small Lots Bureau .Started
It started quite simply and., as usual, by Means of voluntary labour. One local remover undertook to compile, type and circulate a list of all the small lots in the hands of
the local members of the ASSociatiOn. Thereafter, on a specified day in each week, eaCh -member concerned in the scheme sends to the Bureau office a list which is comprised solely of deletions from, and additions to. this list, so far as he is concerned. He e.nelitiscs a -.stamped, addressed envelope for a reply. The "Weal Bureau re-types the lists and posts them back again to the members. They are then studied and the members make their own arrangements for
dealing with the work. .
As the, result of this: fine example of co-operative/effort, it is now the., case that a small lot rarely remains undelivered more than a few weeks.. Moreover, the service is evidently appreciated lay -the public, as is shown by their anxiety to take advantage of it. Notwithstanding this fact, the lists, since their inception, have never grown in length–:-a-eircurnstance which is striking evidence of their efficiency.
The accompanying schedule of rates is that drawn up at Tunbridge Wells. It is put forward as a guide, but it has been found that only slight adjustments are necessary for
its application to any area. S.T.R.